Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: The Financial Industry, My Ass (1)
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‘Was his name Park Hyungyu?’
Back in my senior year of high school.
He was a real piece of work, always extorting money from other kids and sometimes even hitting them.
I figured anyone with a conscience wouldn't show their face at a place like this.
‘Times like these really show you how many shameless people are out there.’
I didn't give him a second glance and focused on the table with Yoon Byeongjong.
I could enjoy myself just fine without having to talk to someone I disliked.
Then.
“I'm gonna use the restroom.”
A friend sitting across from me briefly left his seat.
“Hey, Yoon Byeongjong, long time no see. I hear you're doing well these days.”
“Doing well? Not really.”
“Come on, I've heard the rumors. They say you're raking in cash hand over fist.”
Yoon Byeongjong openly scowled.
Having been pestered by people about money before, he was sick and tired of such blunt talk.
Besides, he never liked guys like Park Hyungyu.
“Out of everyone here, you and I are the most successful. We should stick together.”
“What do you do?”
“Me? I work in the financial sector.”
“Finance? You?”
It was hard to believe that a punk like him was working in finance, a field usually reserved for the top students who excelled in their studies.
“Ever hear of FX margin trading? It's been booming lately. I've got quite a few guys working under me, running their own branches.”
Just as I thought.
FX margin trading. They call it a financial product that deals in derivatives, but that's just a fancy name.
In reality, it was nothing more than a gambling scheme designed to skim off commissions.
I knew a bit about it because YouTube had been buzzing with stories about FX margin trading scammers.
He probably only bothered to come to the reunion to find a sucker or two to reel in.
“Ah, I see. Well, good for you.”
Yoon Byeongjong brushed him off with a dismissive reply.
At that, Park Hyungyu's brow twitched, and his gaze shifted to me.
“You're Jo Hyunsoo, right? What have you been up to?”
“Me? Oh, I work at a game company.”
“Tsk, can you even make any money doing that?”
“Hey, you have no idea how well he's—”
As Yoon Byeongjong started to snap back, I gave a small wave of my hand, gesturing for him to stay quiet.
“It doesn't pay a fortune. But it's work I enjoy, and it's rewarding in its own way, so it's not bad.”
“Tch, what kind of man settles for that? You gotta have some pride.”
“Well, pride doesn't exactly put food on the table, does it?”
“So, what, you make like thirty grand a year?”
“A little more than that.”
Not wanting to talk to him any longer, I gave a vague, noncommittal answer.
The fact that I was a PD, that I'd released a hit game, that I was rising through the ranks at my company, how much money was in my bank account, and so on.
Not only did I not want to stoop to bragging about such things, but I also felt he wasn't worth the effort.
“Tsk, man, that's a boring way to live. Why don't you quit that crap and come work under me doing margin trading? If you open a branch, you can easily pull in at least five grand a month.”
“No, I'm happy with my current job.”
“Hey, you should make a lot of money while you're young and get a place with a view of the Han River, don't you think?”
“Is that really necessary? I think it's fine to live content with what you have.”
*If I did that, I'd be looking at prison bars, not the Han River, you bastard.*
“Tch, this is why I can't talk to guys with no ambition. Right, Yoon Byeongjong?”
“You can have all that grand ambition for yourself.”
“Hahaha, this guy's getting prickly again. Hey, can't you put a character based on me in your webtoon? Same name and everything, concept of a successful young financier. I saw you put a Jo Hyunsoo character in there. I'd be a much better fit.”
Yoon Byeongjong kept giving blunt replies, but Park Hyungyu playfully batted them away and continued to pester him.
“Dude, stop showing off.”
“If you've got it, flaunt it, man. Why else would you come to a reunion?”
I figured it was that kind of shamelessness and persistence that allowed him to make a fortune running his FX margin trading scam.
“Anyway, I'm thinking of getting a new car. Can't decide between a Benz and an Audi.”
Park Hyungyu rambled on, boasting tirelessly.
Letting his words go in one ear and out the other, I glanced around the room.
There were about ten classmates here.
Seeing their faces brought back scattered memories of the past.
Then, my gaze stopped on one of them.
A neatly dressed man with glasses and pale skin.
‘He was the class president.’
The president of our senior class, Jang Ho.
He was a diligent student, especially in math. He never missed the top spot in the school on exams and even competed in the Olympiad a few times.
I remembered, surprisingly, that despite his busy schedule, he had occasionally played the games I made and praised them for being fun.
But.
<<Understanding is too low to view status window information.>>
As I stared at Jang Ho for a moment, a status message popped up before my eyes.
After pondering what it meant, I came to a conclusion.
‘Could he be working in a game-related field?’
The God Game Maker's Understanding system only displayed messages for people related to game development.
Seol Rokhui was an exception among non-developers, but even her status window only appeared after she got involved in game development.
In other words.
‘Is he working in the game industry?’
That was the conclusion I reached.
I was thinking about approaching him later to ask, when I had a chance.
Suddenly, Jang Ho turned his head, and our eyes met.
‘What? Did he know I was staring at him?’
Then he stood up and started walking over to our table.
While I was wondering what to do, feeling a bit awkward.
Jang Ho tapped the shoulder of the friend sitting across from me.
“Shimga, sorry, but could you give me your seat for a minute? I need to talk to these guys.”
“Oh, sure. I'll go take your seat then?”
The friend, nicknamed Shimga, looked relieved to escape Park Hyungyu's boasting and quickly got up and left with a bright expression.
And the class president, Jang Ho, sat down in his place.
“Oh, if it isn't the class president. How've you been? You were a damn good student.”
“I'm just an office worker.”
Jang Ho adjusted his glasses and replied coldly to Park Hyungyu's question.
“What, a salaryman? Then you're probably making, what, three grand a month?”
“Yeah, about that much.”
“See, this is why studying is useless. What's the point of burying your nose in books when a guy like me, who just goofed off, becomes a financier and makes way more money?”
“Financier? Is that what they call FX margin scammers these days?”
“Hey, what did you just say?”
In an instant, Park Hyungyu's expression hardened, and he grabbed Jang Ho's shoulder.
Whoa, the mood just turned ice-cold.
“It's true, you're a scammer. Don't you know people are going to jail in droves for that FX margin stuff?”
“Shit, that's only when idiots get caught doing it clumsily. I do it through legitimate channels, you bastard.”
“Fine, let's say that's true. I don't really care.”
“This little punk.”
“Let's not with the name-calling. We weren't even close back in school, were we?”
He shut him down so coldly, just as you'd expect from the class president.
Just moments ago, my ears were bleeding from Park Hyungyu's bragging, but now, watching this scene was quite amusing.
Anyway, Jang Ho paid no mind to the other guy's rambling and turned to me, getting to his point.
“Jo Hyunsoo, sorry to bother you, but can I ask for a favor?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“Could you take a picture with me? If you don't want to, an autograph would be great too.”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
“You're famous. Really famous. And personally, I'm a big fan of yours.”
The moment I heard that, I felt a slight chill.
“I'm famous? What are you talking about?”
“This class pres is talking nonsense again. Jo Hyunsoo just said he's an office worker. Famous my ass.”
“Sorry, Park Hyungyu, but you should shut your mouth. He's a lot more famous than you think.”
While Park Hyungyu was blabbering on, seizing his moment, the class president fiddled with his smartphone and held it out in front of me.
[The Power of Korean Indie Games? 'Forgotten Andersen's Story' Surpasses 1 Million Sales! - GameMyNews]
['Forgotten Andersen's Story' Developer Jo Hyunsoo Selected as PD for NB Soft's New Project! - GameWiz]
[Indie Game Titan 'Coby Fox' and Superstar Rookie Developer 'Christian' Join Forces at NB Soft! - KillTheGameIn]
They were all internet news articles about me.
There were no pictures of me, but my name and age were clearly written in the text.
“This is you, isn't it? The genius developer, Christian Jo Hyunsoo.”
“Huh, how did you know about this?”
Game articles don't usually get much exposure, and I'd been vague to avoid sounding like I was bragging.
‘I can't believe someone actually knew.’
I glanced at Yoon Byeongjong, but he shook his head with an expression that said, *it wasn't me*.
From the looks of it, the class president must have found out on his own.
“What? What's up with Hyunsoo?”
“I hear he's some famous game developer. You know anything?”
“Nah, I haven't touched a game since I turned thirty.”
All the alumni's eyes turned to our table.
Did he feel left out when he was supposed to be the one on top?
Park Hyungyu suddenly blew up.
“Hey, what the fuck, how much money can a damn gamer make from that? At best, he gets a slightly bigger paycheck. A real man runs his own business.”
“Well, I don't engage in the vulgar act of judging others solely by their money, but unless you have seven figures in your bank account, I suggest you shut up, Park Hyungyu.”
The class president pushed up his glasses and retorted in a cold voice.
‘What the hell is wrong with these guys?’
I was the one they were talking about, but I was just sitting here quietly while the atmosphere took a strange turn.
It felt like I'd come to watch a calm, healing drama, only for the genre to suddenly switch to an over-the-top soap opera.
But as everyone knows, those kinds of soap operas have their own unique appeal.
I tried my best to maintain a poker face, but I was thoroughly enjoying their bickering.
“And he didn't make his money by scamming people like you. He's a public figure. In terms of honor, is there any comparison between him and a common fraudster?”
“Honor, my ass. Money is money. What's so great about some game? If it were a TV show or a movie, maybe I'd be impressed.”
“Then why don't you work hard and get yourself into an interview or a news article?”
As Park Hyungyu tried to argue back, the class president held out his smartphone and continued.
“Oh, you could get an article written about you if you get caught by the police for fraud. 'FX Margin Scammer Jailed for Defrauding Classmates.'”
“What did you say, you bastard!”
In that moment, Park Hyungyu grabbed the class president by the collar.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
“Hey, break them up.”
The other classmates rushed up from their seats to pull the two apart.
Park Hyungyu swung his fists wildly in the air, though he had no real intention of fighting, while the class president didn't even bother to look at him, as if he wasn't worth acknowledging.
“Hey, Park Hyungyu, you apologize.”
“What the fuck! Are you guys blind? He's the one who started it.”
“That's because you've been disrespecting everyone and making snide remarks ever since you got here. To be honest, you're making us all really uncomfortable.”
Objectively speaking, Park Hyungyu had just been obnoxious, while the class president was the one who actually started the fight.
But everyone naturally sided with the class president.
‘This is why your reputation matters.’
Park Hyungyu gritted his teeth in frustration and yelled.
“Let go! Fuck, let go of me, you bastards! I'm fucking leaving, this is disgusting. You fucking losers have no idea who I am. I came here to help you out, and this is how you fucking treat me? Don't live your lives like this!”
As his friends let go of his shoulders and he was about to walk out the restaurant door.
The class president added one more comment in Park Hyungyu's direction.
“Hey, pay for what you ate before you leave.”
Nice one, Prez!
I found it hard to stop the corners of my mouth from curling into a smile.